The best fire in the sky...Busan firework festival 2014!

One of the things that I looked forward to in my second year in Korea was doing the Busan Firework Festival...correctly. When I say correctly, I mean getting a great seat and able to see the fireworks...
Last year, we underestimated the amount of Koreans that go to this festival. (over 1 million) We got there shortly before the fireworks and quickly learned that we would NOT be seeing all the fireworks, as we would be standing to the side of them and fighting for viewspots with the savvy elderly Koreans! That being said, I extremely enjoyed last years fireworks, and was amazed beyond words...
This year we took a different approach. We were in the "know" this year. We got to Busan around 2:30 and we split our group of 14 up. Half of us went to the hostel to check in and take our stuff. The other half went directly to the beach to stake out a great spot. There they laid down our mats, and got their elbows out.
After checking into the hostel, the rest of us made our way to the beach. There we had 5 hours or so of hanging out. We played some cards and chatted. The time went fast because the weather was AMAZING- 75 degrees with a shining sun. We couldn't have asked for a better day.
The best part about getting there early is not having to compete for your spot as much. We had plenty of room for our group. We were about 20 feet from the start of the beach. The people that were behind us and closer to the road were having to hold much stronger for their spot. Not many people were gutsy enough to bring their mat way up to the front knowing that those people had been there a long time. Only the ajummas were brave enough, and that is because they don't care about anything/ anyone. One lady brought her 6 foot square mat and put it down in a 1 foot space...How you might ask? Well, she spread it evenly over 4 other people mats, taking their space. No one said anything....I would have like to see her pull that on us. Foreigners act a little different to rude people...no matter their age.
At 8:00, the fireworks started and they kept going for the next 45 minutes to 1 hour. This year we could hear the music much better and it was obvious the fireworks were timed with the music. They even had some English music. It was really great!
Again, after the fireworks, we hung around the area and ate, and didn't try to navigate the metro. The people who went last year were trying to express the madness to the new people, but it was just hard to convey the craziness!
I highly recommend going to this festival, but for your sake- do some research so that you survive the madness!

This person in front of me was face-timing with a girlfriend because she couldn't come. Cute!